The Shaping of Political and Social Values in College

• In Event: Active Learning Inside & Outside the Classroom

Abstract

To what degree do college experiences – curricular activities (e.g., taking specific courses and types of courses), extra-curricular on-campus activities (e.g., participating in clubs, sports, and university events), and extra-curricular off-campus activities (e.g., engaging in service activities and government and business internships) – affect students’ social and political values? I answer these questions by conducting the Hoya Values Survey (HVS). The HVS is an original four-year panel study that tracks individual students attending Georgetown College, its School of Foreign Service in Washington, and its School of Foreign Service in Doha, Qatar, annually during their undergraduate careers. The HVS mimics the World Values Survey enabling the attitudes of local and foreign students to be compared with the peers in the United States and Doha. The findings suggest that small seminars, internships and service activities have a significant impact on student values and their respect for different authorities, but that the intensity and direction of these effects are shaped personal characteristics including gender, the intensity of personal beliefs, and activity-specific including whether classroom attendance is expected. The insights contribute to debates regarding the dynamics of socialization, impact of studying abroad, the consequences of different forms of learning and instruction.

Author

• George E. Shambaugh, Georgetown University